The Leading Online Tech Festival for Emerging Markets

Julien is the investment manager of Dtec Ventures, managing a portfolio of 21 investments, and in charge of the deal flow.

Arnav Danthi is an Investment Analyst at Wamda. As an analyst, Arnav assists and supports the partners and associates in the entire deal process including initial screening, market analysis, financial modeling & due diligence.

Investor

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MICROSOFT FOR STARTUPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA REGION With over 20 years’ experience working for the likes of Microsoft and Google, Roberto Croci’s passion lies in innovation, startups and PEOPLE. Relationship driven, he has bridged the gap between corporates and startups across more than 20 countries, helping them develop real solutions that solve real world problems.

1 month full membership hotdesking subscription plan in Beirut, Limassol, or Amman.

Premium Licence for 1 year for the Dealroom platform: the most comprehensive global data platform on start-ups, investors and tech ecosystems. With this tool, the prize winners will be able to scout for very specific investors, partners and clients, without limits, across any verticals or locations.

Free pitching session with a demo pitch and pitch deck review, package worth $500!

2x Professional plans (worth $120 each) for a year to 2 runner-ups and 1x Champ plan to the winner for a year (Worth $348)

one year FREE subscription for Smashi. Full access to all our shows. Full access to all our interviews with CEOs and Founders in MENA region. Full access to hundreds of news covering Tech and Business news in the MENA region.

($2,000 worth) Startup Connect Package from Launch DXB. Launch DXB is a unique community of startups, SMEs, brands, government entities, and industry professionals working together to launch initiatives that inspire, enable and celebrate entrepreneurship. Launch DXB will collaborate with you to launch a full campaign to engage their community to help you drive leads, establish a two-way communication with your target audience and potentially attract investors, co-founders and industry talents.This includes telling your story and educating the community on why your products or services are worth trying and supporting through digital activations and educational workshops.

Ali is the Investment Operations Director at +VC, an early stage venture capital firm focused on the MENA region. Previously, he held the same position at 500 Startups, heading up the investment operations functions of 500 Startups' MENA based fund, 500 Falcons, overseeing the legal due diligence and processing and finalizing investments in more than 180 startups in the region over the past few years. Prior to 500, Ali was the legal and finance manager at Tenmou, the first business angels organization in Bahrain and one of the first in the MENA region, managing a portfolio of 20 pre-seed investments, closely overseeing the operations. In addition, Ali was part of the organizing team of several prominent entrepreneurial events in the region, including Arabnet, Startup Weekend and MENA Angel Investors Summit.

Hala has 10 years of experience in the financial industry, leading in a number of diverse roles in MENA and the US. Before joining Arab Bank, Hala, was a founding team member and Vice President of Operations at liwwa, the first P2P lending startup in MENA, building the foundations to move it from startup to scale-up. Hala also worked on a number of multi-million dollar deals as an investment banker in Jordan and the GCC. Hala is an experienced researcher, holding positions in a number of economic policy thinktanks, such as Columbia University Global Centers, and winning fellowships and awards for her contribution to academic societies. Hala is passionate about the future of finance and is driven by curiosity and a love for problem solving. Hala graduated from the United World College of the Adriatic (Duino, Italy), the American University in Cairo, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, all with the highest honors

My name is Mohammed Alnasyan, I work as an Analyst at Impact46. I helped several startups in fundraising from pre-seed to series B. I'm interested in Fintech, Marketplace and Video gaming startups.

Laura Toma founded Grey Matter as part of her belief that education is the biggest enabler of "super-powers" for children, youth and adults to change the world for the better and preparing them for a future where being able to learn, unlearn and relearn will be crucial. Laura Toma have over 12 years of experience in education and communication, having worked with the full spectrum of organisations: from NGOs to governmental institutions, schools to universities, startups/SMEs to MNCs from Europe, South East Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. Laura Toma is certified as/in Design Thinking, Google Innovator, LEGO Serious Play Method, Instructional Design.

Khalifa is the Vice President of Tasamy for Social Entrepreneurship. He has been working closely with entrepreneurs for over 5 years in investment, incubation and acceleration.

Dino Wilkinson is recognised as one of the leading technology lawyers in the Middle East and was named in The Legal 500's Hall of Fame for his work in technology, media and telecommunication law.

Faisal is the Innovation Hub Manager and head of AB Accelerator at the Arab Bank, one of the largest Financial institution in the MENA region with over 500 branches across 5 continents. Prior to joining Arab Bank, Faisal managed a portfolio of +30 startups at Oasis500, a pioneering seed-stage accelerator in the MENA region with a portfolio of 100+ companies. Faisal managed and led one of the first Fintech focused corporate innovation programs in Jordan.

Frank is an Ecosystem Developer, EMEA for the Twilio Startups team and works closely with startups and supports them from Pre-Seed to Series A across EMEA. He aims to help startups embed and leverage Twilio SendGrid's software and tools, to optimize their customer engagement, communications and marketing, as they look to scale. He is both curious and passionate about how digital strategy, disruptive innovation, technology, and culture can transform the ways businesses and people behave and interact within a society responding to continuous change. Previously, Frank studied Law and has worked as a senior strategy consultant at IBM, Parliamentary Digital Services, and KPMG. He is enthused about mentoring startups and supporting founders in areas of business strategy, product market fit, scaling culture and marketing. Additionally, he enjoys building meaningful relationships with founders and helping them to solve their most complex challenges as they scale. Frank is also excited by the growth of emerging/frontier startup ecosystems and is passionate about doing more work to support founders within the MENA & Sub-Saharan startup ecosystems.

fCurrently a Cloud Architect at Microsoft for Startups, I help startups across the Middle East with technical skilling and building a techno-commercial sales models that reflect their cloud spend. I come from a background of channel distribution, services and consultancy in MEA and Gulf. I have been working with cloud technology since MSFT Cloud was live@edu and IBM cloud was SoftLayer. Since then, I have designed, implemented & migrated solutions to Microsoft Cloud. Having worked in 3 distribution houses, the last of which being Crayon, I’ve worked on commercial marketplaces and collaborated with startups and ISVs in onboarding, consumption and strategic offering differentiation. As part of Microsoft for startups, I like to focus on leveling up the ecosystem with technology maturity assessments, architecture modernization chats and “roadmap to marketplace” skilling.

Creative leader, Connector, Innovator and Entrepreneurial Executive. Out of the box thinker. With extensive experience managing teams and operations in the Food Manufacturing and Trading Industries as well as involved in Digital Transformation, Incubation, Acceleration & Entrepreneurship ( Seed-VC ) for the past 12 years. His previous company , JV with AMC Group was principle responsable of Juice and Fruits Drinks innovation in the GCC Region. Member and chair of one of the experts panels for Food Innovation and Technology for EIT, body of European Union, with main competences in evaluating, assessing and securing funding for strategic projects for the EU countries in the Food Industry. Advisor, critical thinker, mentor and true angel in different sectors including Foodtech, Halal Certification Industry, EdTech and Biotech. Eager networker and HBS Alumnus with Global network in multiple sectors specially in Food and Beverages production and Distribution , Business initiation and Startup Ecosystems. Board Member of the UAE Spanish Chamber of Commerce

Neena is the Public Relations & Communications Manager, at 500 Startups, the most active Venture Capital firm in the world, based in Silicon Valley. As a Communications professional with more than 20 years of diverse experience she manages the external communications for 500 Startups MENA and assists the portfolio companies under its management in matters related to PR. Prior to joining 500 Startups MENA, she was an Account Manager/Senior Consultant at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, the leading international Public Relations Agency in the world. Her client portfolio included leading international brands, quasi government, and private sector organisations. She has contributed towards effective communications with multiple internal and external stakeholders through effective Marcomms, strategic brand management, training and PR campaigns. She was engaged in community, government and media relations; corporate communications; events and communications planning; and issues and crisis management. She is a poised and competent team builder and leader who succeeds in a fast-paced corporate environment. Neena holds a Masters in Banking and Taxing from Bangalore University. She is also a qualified Post Graduate Diploma holder in Finance Management with a first rank, from St Joseph’s College of Business and Administration. Neena is the Public Relations & Communications Manager, at 500 Startups, the most active Venture Capital firm in the world, based in Silicon Valley. As a Communications professional with more than 20 years of diverse experience she manages the external communications for 500 Startups MENA and assists the portfolio companies under its management in matters related to PR. Prior to joining 500 Startups MENA, she was an Account Manager/Senior Consultant at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, the leading international Public Relations Agency in the world. Her client portfolio included leading international brands, quasi government, and private sector organisations. She has contributed towards effective communications with multiple internal and external stakeholders through effective Marcomms, strategic brand management, training and PR campaigns. She was engaged in community, government and media relations; corporate communications; events and communications planning; and issues and crisis management. She is a poised and competent team builder and leader who succeeds in a fast-paced corporate environment. Neena holds a Masters in Banking and Taxing from Bangalore University. She is also a qualified Post Graduate Diploma holder in Finance Management with a first rank, from St Joseph’s College of Business and Administration.

Technology can be a huge differentiator but leveraging emerging technologies can be challenging. After my degree in Business Information Technology I decided to work on the provider side of Technology, because I believe Technology providers play an important role in guiding enterprises on their digital journey. I joined an early-stage Ymor in 2007, based in Utrecht in the Netherlands. Ymor was one of the first to fully specialize in user happiness or Digital Experience as we would call it now. In different roles my focus was always on growth: developing new services, entering new industries, finding new (technology) partnerships, or entering new geographical markets. After Ymor I moved to Dubai work for Gartner. In my three years with Gartner I provided start-up, mid-size and large enterprise Tech CEOs in the Middle East the advice, insights, and tools needed to accelerate the growth of their business.

I believe in innovation for continuous and sustainable growth. Countries, ecosystems, companies, or any public or private organization may become more innovative when they put people at the center. Today, I contribute to this through my roles as CAO at Deep Ecosystems by Startup Heatmap. Also as a mentor, advisor, consultant and director of startups, VCs and governments, thanks to my experience in marketing & communications, growth and ecosystems/accelerators strategies. Also, I promote entrepreneurship and innovation as a Professor at University. Previously, I was CEO of Start-Up Chile, one of the largest startups acceleratos in the world. Also I was the founder of Afterbang Chile, a ski clothing company and Domadores TV, a broadcasting platform for journalism students.

Part of the Investment team at Impact46, prior experience advising startup as part of the #1 incubator in Saudi. Along with a vast experience in the angel investing landscape in Saudi.

Ayman Itani is a business growth specialist, advisor, and public speaker, dedicated to helping founders, investors, government entities, and enterprises meet their growth objectives.

Rime has over 20 years of experience in information technology management and strategy. She held several positions in Chicago from Financial Analyst at Chicago Tribune to e-commerce Strategy consulting at Whittman-Hart to Global Technology Liaison and Program Manager of several global applications at JPMorgan worldwide bank. Rime recently relocated to the MENA region and joined Thomson Reuters as a Digital Program Manager overlooking the development of several online platforms and mobile apps. After which, she became CEO of Limelines, MENAs leading content curation reading platform. Rime earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Notre Dame University in Beirut then moved to Chicago and earned dual Maters Degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and Masters of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) with honors from Roosevelt University in Chicago. 12:06

MBA Student 👨🏻‍🎓and Marketing Manager فطور_فارس# Angel investor💰and E-commerce lover 💳

Shaheen AlKhudhari is the Founder of Ajar. Shaheen holds a Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Starting his career as an accountant, Shaheen now has over 10 years of experience working in a variety of fields including logistics, real estate, finance, and IT. In 2016, Shaheen founded Ajar to solve a personal frustration that he faced while paying rent through traditional means. Since then, he has grown Ajar Online to be the leading property management and rent collection solution in the Middle East.

Regional Director GCC @ Founder Institute, Advisor @ Loyal VC

Rayan is a Partner at Outliers Venture Capital focused on FinTech. Prior to Outliers, Rayan was the Assistant General Manager of Careem UAE and a member of the Corporate Development team responsible for the company's acquisition by Uber. Rayan joined Careem from the investment team at Wamda Capital and with five years of experience in financial services across the US and Europe. He holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Mohamed Ihab is an investment associate at AUC Angels, the first university-based angel investor network in the MENA region. After being part of Unilever’s Future Leaders Program, he decided to shift his focus and become well-versed in the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship. As his day job, he helps local startups become investment-ready and connects them to angel investors. In the evening, he assists regional early-stage ventures in strategizing and planning their next moves as he is one of UpWork’s top-rated freelance startup consultants. Even at night, his go-to forms of entertainment are Shark Tank and Dragon Den episodes! He is also a judge at the MIT Enterprise Forum annual startup competition and is currently in the process of launching a tech startup. br> Funding Stage : Seed
Preferred industry of the startups : Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Education, Hospitality & Restaurants, Insurance & Healthcare, Consulting, Telecommunications, Apparel Fashion & Cosmetics, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech, Healthcare, Logistics

Manish Phulwani is on the investment team at Wamda. His role involves looking out for key market & industry trends, establishing investment theses, networking with potential startups & up-and-coming entrepreneurs and working on the deal process which involves initial screening, market analysis, financial modeling & due diligence. Prior to his experience at Wamda, Manish completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program and holds a degree in accounting and finance from Middlesex University.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, Education, Accounting & Banking, Insurance & Healthcare, Entertainment & Sport, Apparel Fashion & Cosmetics, Fintech, Health, Healthcare

Analyst at Rua Growth Fund
Funding Stage : Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Education, Accounting & Banking, Insurance & Healthcare, Fintech, Logistics

Antoine joined Saned Partners in June 2014 as an Investment Manager of the Fund. Prior to joining Saned Partners, Antoine worked in Investment Banking at BLOMINVEST Bank. Antoine has 18 years of experience of which 6 in Financial Control in Paris. He worked as finance manager in several industries such as consumer goods, pharmaceutical and retail. Antoine is holder of an MBA from ESA / ESCP-EAP and a Bachelor in Business Administration with an emphasis in Banking and Finance from the Lebanese American University.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early , Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Education, Insurance & Healthcare, Entertainment & Sport, Telecommunications, Fintech, Healthcare, Logistics

Dr. Khaldoon is the Founder & Managing Director of iMENA Group. In the last 25 years, he has pioneered the development of the regional technology venture capital ecosystem in the MENA region as a founder, investor, and advisor. Khaldoon was a founder at Arabia.com (first venture backed online business in MENA), Arab Advisors Group, NetAdvantage, OneCard, Riyada Ventures, and Impact MENA. Key funds that he managed include IDEAVELOPERS (first regulated regional VC fund), Riyada, and iMENA, while companies that he invested in include OpenSooq, SellAnyCar, Jeeny, ReserveOut, Telr, JRD, Hellofood, Akhtaboot, IdealRatings, and Rufoof. As an ecosystem builder, he has participated in the development of iPark, ABAN, Oasis500, PICTI, and Wamda. Khaldoon was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. He is also a Kauffman Venture Capital Fellow and a member of the Young Presidents Organization. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from The University of Jordan and has completed the Young Global Leaders Leadership and Policy education program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and the YPO programs at Harvard Business School, Stanford, and London Business School.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early , Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Fintech

Laila joined 500 Startups in early 2019 as a Principal to lead our follow on strategy. She brings a wealth of expertise to the team through her experience in investment banking, private equity and venture capital. Her focus is on due diligence and later stage deals, hence she has been the one leading 500 Startups more detailed due diligence efforts for follow on investments. Laila has also been instrumental in expanding our data gathering and analysis efforts from our existing portfolio. Laila was based in the UAE until a few weeks ago, and has just moved to Cairo and will be strengthening our outreach and access in that market, which is already our biggest market in terms of investment and will likely continue to be so.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early , Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, Education, Hospitality & Restaurants, Entertainment & Sport, Apparel Fashion & Cosmetics, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech

Prior to joining MEVP, Gaelle held an internship in the private and public equity division of The Olayan Group (OEL), and in the research and investment department of a wealth management firm: Crescendo Group. Gaelle holds a Bachelor in Business Administration (with a concentration in Finance) from the American University of Beirut where she was part of the Investment Management Program managing the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business's $1 million fund for two years.
Funding Stage : Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Education, Insurance & Healthcare, Fintech, Healthcare

Ivo Detelinov is a General Partner London-based VC firm Hambro Perks. Previously, he was at Riyad Capital for 7 years heading the firm's PE and VC Funds business. Following the completion of an MBA degree (Finance) from New York University's Stern School of Business, Ivo joined the Financial Sponsors Group of Merrill Lynch, where he assisted in origination, diligence and deal execution global PE and VC firms in New York (for seven years) and in London (for three years). Prior to attending graduate school, he worked at MWI & Partners, a growth PE fund associated with Merrill Lynch. Ivo started his professional career at the Technology Equity Research at Merrill Lynch, where he covered Enterprise Software companies. He is a CFA Charterholder.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : Education, Insurance & Healthcare, Telecommunications, Fintech, Health, Healthcare, Logistics

CFA level III candidate
Funding Stage : Seed, Early , Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Fintech

Turki has been active in the tech startup space since 2016 when he co-founded Desert Agriculture, an agtech startup, and Sun Capture, a solar and energy services company. Both startups are operating under Aljoaib Holdings, a family business with a long history in diverse sectors such as energy, construction, and agriculture. In 2014, Turki graduated from the University of Southern California where he majored in civil and environmental engineering and minored in construction management. Turki also holds a master's degree in renewable energy engineering (green technology) from USC as well as a graduate certificate in tech commercialization from the USC Marshall School of Business
Funding Stage : Seed, Early , Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Education, Aviation Automobile & Transportation, Accounting & Banking, Hospitality & Restaurants, Insurance & Healthcare, Entertainment & Sport, Telecommunications, Apparel Fashion & Cosmetics, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Dairy & Farming, Fintech, Architecture & Art, Health, Healthcare, Logistics

A Financial Entrepreneur with a truly global background. Born in Fiji of Pakistani parentage, raised in Nigeria, Oxbridge educated, worked with the Japanese at Nikko and now resident in Dubai, UAE. Founded Privity in 2004, an early stage venture-focused firm in Dubai; founded Hasan Financial Corporation in 1996, an independent FCA regulated buy and sell side advisory firm focusing on the Japanese Markets based in the UK which he exited in Feb 2020. Sleem is married with 2 daughters and is resident in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Accounting & Banking, Insurance & Healthcare, Entertainment & Sport, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech, Healthcare, Logistics, Highly innovative & disruptive 0-1 technologies.

Issa's career has focused on finance and investments for the past 16+ years with a focus on Venture Capital. He started his career in investment banking and transitioned into the MENA Venture Capital space in 2006 as a founding member of Accelerator technologies, one of the first venture funds in the Arab world.  He has since occupied numerous roles that include M&A consultant at Yahoo!, Head of Investment at N2V - a regional Venture Builder, and Head of Investments and Venture Capital at twofour54.  Prior to establishing Access Bridge Ventures, Issa headed IFC’s Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Europe's venture investments both from a Direct and Indirect (accelerators and fund of fund) perspective. His track record includes, having invested in 60+ direct and indirect investment deals (from $100K to $25M per transaction), managed over $150m in MENA Venture funds, launched the UAE’s first Accelerator, exited 6+ MENA based deals, supported with 2 IPOs and much more. Issa now the founder and managing partner of Access Bridge Ventures, A leading early state MEPAP focused Venture Fund.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : Education, Accounting & Banking, Insurance & Healthcare, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech, Health, Healthcare, Logistics

Hussein Attar is the investment manager at Tech Invest Com, a 1Bn SAR Saudi investment firm that invests in tech startups. He co-founded Sawerly, one of the top 50 Arab startups by Forbes. He is also in the opportunity committee at Oqal Angel investment group .
Funding Stage : Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, Education, Accounting & Banking, Insurance & Healthcare, Telecommunications, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech, Health, Healthcare, Logistics

Chief Investment Officer at DAAL; venture capital fund in Saudi Arabia responsible for identifying promising startups and evaluating the investment opportunity within. Lewa also Provides mentorship and business development insights for portfolio companies to guide and nurture their growth on the international stage. Working previously in prominent companies within MENA region such as Orange Jordan, MBC Group and BlackBerry enabled Lewa to acquire solid understanding in realizing the scalability in technology solutions and sustainability in business models.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : IT, Education, Aviation Automobile & Transportation, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech, Logistics

Basil is an experienced company builder and general partner at Global Ventures, an international venture capital firm that backs global-minded founders, leading growth-stage companies that use technology to transform emerging markets and the world. Basil joined Global Ventures in June 2018. From initial idea to business scaling, his background makes him an ideal partner for founders at all stages. Basil has been an Advisor, Investor and Board Member with numerous global technology companies. These have included new ventures, such as the digital patent storage platform PatSnap, the intelligent product builder TARA.AI as well as Sparrho, Floranow and Elmenus. Basil started his career as a founding member of the Reuters Venture Capital group. Indeed, he was part of the team that took the group private. A successful fund, it invested in Netscape, Yahoo!, Verisign, Webex, and several other leading global companies. Basil then managed emerging markets for Reuters: A $600M business spanning Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, India and China. He grew the business seamlessly and made numerous strategic acquisitions. His approach included buying Zawya, a trusted source of business and financial news. The company plays a critical role in providing insights into the Middle East. Basil subsequently scaled Zawya for significant growth. Basil's last role was at Thomson Reuters. At Thomson, Basil served as President of the Intellectual Property and Science business. He was responsible for developing the strategic proposition of the $1billion revenue business. His strategy worked in line with customer, market and competitive trends. Upon strategic execution, he prepared the division for sale to private equity which took place in 2016 for $3.55B. A champion of diversity and inclusion, he was a founding advisor for Reach Mentoring. Reach is a successful program focusing on high-potential woman executives in the Middle East. Furthermore, he was the executive sponsor of diversity in the workplace programs at Thomson Reuters. Basil holds a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo. Basil earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Funding Stage : Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Education, Accounting & Banking, Insurance & Healthcare, Entertainment & Sport, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Fintech, Architecture & Art, Health, Healthcare, Logistics

Christos is the Founder and Managing Partner of Iliad Partners, a VC investing in early stage tech startups in MENA with a focus on e-commerce enablement and B2B. He is an investor, former entrepreneur, and digital executive with 23+ years of experience in tech in the US, Europe, and MENA. Based in Dubai for the last 14 years, he was previously Head of Business Development of Yahoo! Maktoob and a management consultant with Booz & Company. He was also an angel investor, founder and senior executive with tech startups including GlamBox, Upstream and govWorks, and serves on several startup Boards and was a founding member of MAGNiTT's Advisory Board. Christos holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.S. in International Relations from Georgetown University.
Funding Stage : Early, Growth
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, Education, Hospitality & Restaurants, Insurance & Healthcare, Fintech, Logistics

Saleh Abbas is the Senior Program Manager at Flat6Labs Bahrain where he oversees the accelerator program as well as the marketing and outreach. Saleh has travelled globally to startup related events to scout innovative businesses securing investment in 44 startups to date. He also works on creating strategic partnerships and consolidating a VC network for follow on funding for the Bahrain portfolio. He has previously worked in logistics, marketing, and more, at well-reputed firms and corporates such as JWT, Zain, and BMMI.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Education, Aviation Automobile & Transportation, Accounting & Banking, Hospitality & Restaurants, Insurance & Healthcare, Consulting, Entertainment & Sport, Telecommunications, Apparel Fashion & Cosmetics, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Dairy & Farming, Fintech, Architecture & Art, Health, Healthcare, Logistics

Hasan Haider has over 10 years of experience investing in MENA startups. Hasan is the Founder and Managing Partner of +VC, an early stage venture capital firm focused on the MENA region. Hasan was previously Managing Partner, MENA at 500 Startups and led the firms growth in the MENA Region over the last 5 years, turning 500 Startups into the most active VC fund in the MENA region, raising and deploying the 500 Falcons fund, building partnerships and running programs in the region to help build the regional ecosystem. Hasan has invested in more than 180 startups in the region over the course of the last 10 years. Prior to 500, Hasan was the co-founder and CEO of Tenmou, the first business angel’s organization in Bahrain and one of the first in the MENA region. Hasan’s work in developing angel investment in emerging markets through Tenmou has been picked up as a case study by the World Bank and was taught to Entrepreneurship Policy makers at Babson College. Previously, Hasan’s career was in finance and investment banking at Sico where he spent a number of years.
Funding Stage : Seed, Early
Preferred industry of the startups : Retail & E-commerce, IT, Advertising Digital Media & Marketing, Education, Aviation Automobile & Transportation, Accounting & Banking, Hospitality & Restaurants, Insurance & Healthcare, Consulting, Entertainment & Sport, Telecommunications, Apparel Fashion & Cosmetics, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Dairy & Farming, Fintech, Architecture & Art, Health, Healthcare, Logistics